On Aug. 31, 2017, hundreds of drivers, some of whom were trying to return to their hurricane-ravaged homes, found themselves on the side of the road in Lufkin after melted tar began to stick to their tires, debilitating their vehicles. Today, those same drivers are waiting for answers.
Through the Public Information Act, KTRE has obtained hundreds of documents from TxDOT and we will tell you the stories of those affected by that day and the state agency’s response as part of an ongoing series: The Day the Road Melted.
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Citing a contract with the Texas Department of Transportation, an insurance company representing Clark Construction is denying claims from damages incurred when the tar melted on the Lufkin loop on Aug. 31.

Citing a contract with the Texas Department of Transportation, an insurance company representing Clark Construction is denying claims from damages incurred when the tar melted on the Lufkin loop on Aug. 31.

Work is continuing on the east side of State Loop 287 in Lufkin in the wake of an Aug. 31 incident in which rock came loose from the roadway and tar stuck to the tires of cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers.

Work is continuing on the east side of State Loop 287 in Lufkin in the wake of an Aug. 31 incident in which rock came loose from the roadway and tar stuck to the tires of cars, trucks, and 18-wheelers.

An internal email to TxDOT employees may provide an idea on how the agency and the construction company plan to respond to drivers filing claims for damage from road construction on Aug. 31 on the Lufkin loop.

An internal email to TxDOT employees may provide an idea on how the agency and the construction company plan to respond to drivers filing claims for damage from road construction on Aug. 31 on the Lufkin loop.

So far, about 390 complaints have been filed with the Texas Department of Transportation's Occupational Safety Division in regard to the east Loop 287 asphalt issue that resulted to asphalt from a construction zone in Lufkin sticking to the tires of passing cars and trucks. That number could wind up being "upwards of 500."

So far, about 390 complaints have been filed with the Texas Department of Transportation's Occupational Safety Division in regard to the east Loop 287 asphalt issue that resulted to asphalt from a construction zone in Lufkin sticking to the tires of passing cars and trucks. That number could wind up being "upwards of 500."